May 31 2008
Balancing Your Diet to Improve Tension and Stress – Part 1
While we know that exercise can relieve stress, balancing your diet to improve tension and stress is another facet to achieving overall good health.
When our immune system is out of balance, we are more vulnerable to everyday stresses and tension. However, if our daily diet consists of foods that strengthen the immune system, we are more able to survive the effects of stress and tension we face on a daily basis.
What kind of balanced diet should we engage in? Remember your mom telling you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? She was right. Without eating a proper breakfast, we tend to stop at a coffee shop and choose a sugary delight. Instead, why not opt for a bowl of oatmeal with a glass of water. Substitute caffeine with chamomile tea, which is a wonderful stress reducer.
If you don’t have time to sit down and have a nourishing breakfast, try a vegetable smoothie. Packed with vitamins and nutrients, this is much better than coffee and toast.
Sugar contributes to stress. You may notice that a while after eating a sugary snack or a bar of chocolate, you feel fatigued. While the sugar may help in the short term, you are just adding wood to the fire in the long run. Conversely, snacking on protein is much healthier for you and helps to maintain blood sugar levels as well. Popcorn is another snack which can get you through the 3 o’clock yearning for something sweet.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for Part 2 and more tips!
